GRR Reveiws The Memory of You by Jamie Beck

Ryan had to move home when his wife left him and their little girl behind. Living with his mother is a bit weird. His mother hiring his ex, Steffi, to remodel her house is... REALLY weird. Because Steffi broke his heart a long time ago. But Steffi herself is working through a lot of problems. Having been assaulted, she moved home for a do-over... only to end up in a squabble among friends... and being hired by her ex's mother is awkward... but the old feelings came back. Is his mother playing matchmaker? Do they really have a chance, when Steffi's secrets are still in hiding?

Two shattered souls, one small town. Good touches, hiding secrets in shame, etc. 4/5

GRR Reviews The Wonder of Now by Jamie Beck

Peyton is a survivor of breast cancer, but an emotional wreck, with her BF abandoning her at the time of need. However, when her memoir combined with her brother's frank photographs of her taking off, she needs to do a book promo tour with her publisher PR whiz Mitch. While Mitch is efficient, he's also very cold, yet with moody moments and flashes of pain beneath his implacable exterior. As the two slowly got to know each other, they gained an understanding into each other... and themselves. But is there love?

Nice job portraying a breast cancer survivor, living in doubt, tattered self-image, without letting it destroy her. Mitch has a shallower character arc, but not by that much. His motivations are simpler, but no less deep... sort of childhood promise and trauma. Though it is slightly less understandable how did his promise lead him to being PR guy... 4.5/5

GRR Reviews Worth the Trouble by Jamie Beck

Catherine "Cat" is a cover girl and her beauty is renowned. However, she's hiding a huge secret... even from her own family. Attending her brother's wedding just makes her sad, but she's perfected the art of smiling even when she's not feeling it. Until she ran into Hank... who's soft-spoken and gentle, a man she should want, but can't. // Hank understood sacrifice, having set aside his own ambitions to help out his family. Having once been rejected by Cat, he's not eager to repeat the experience, but when Cat's drunken behavior prompted him doing a white knight rescue, Cat's ephipany, about needing her own business and income after her beauty fades lead her to offer him a dream job: creating custom furniture, instead of just doing general carpentry work as a contractor. But he's reluctant to take up the offer because it can affect his family... and he is not sure how he and Cat can work together when there's that chemistry between them...

Good amount of angst, but not too overwhelming. She's his boss's sister, he's not quite ready to leave the job... etc etc.  The tropes and tags are minimal, yet there's a complete plot.

Category: Contemporary

Overall Rating: 4/5

NOTE: Tropes are now in the "Labels" below. 

GRR Reviews Before I Knew by Jamie Beck

Colby is ready to turn over a new leaf by opening her restaurant in Oregon, but the sudden departure of her chef mean she had to hire Alec, old family friend with a Michelin star. But more than two years ago, Alec's brother lost his life on a dare by Colby's husband... and Colby's husband, already in the midst of bipolar mania (something Colby chose not to spread around), committed suicide months later. Now, both Alec and Colby with guilty conscience. She lamented about not seeking help for her husband sooner, and he felt bad about going into a depression after his brother's death and lost his restaurant. There is also family drama ("her husband killed my boy"). But now, Alec has recovered and wants to resurrect his career. However, can he admit to himself, that he has always loved Colby from a distance. Now that they have to see each other daily, and she's technically her boss... will they go all the way? And what secrets may they be keeping that will destroy all they worked for?

There was WAY too much angst in this book. Every page I turn, there's some sort of guilt and shame. ARGH, it's depressing. EVERY character is miserable. I felt as if I'm reading some tragedy. Gah. Both MC's are just... total pushovers.  She felt guilty. He felt guilty. And all that guilt dragged down the plot.

Category: Contemporary

Overall Rating: 3/5

NOTE: Tropes are now in the "Labels" below. 

GRR Reviews In the Cards by Jamie Beck

In the Cards is about trust and taking chances... and second chances.

Lindsey fled her rich life in New York after her fiancee informed her he had cheated with a co-worker 2 weeks before their wedding. Lindsey rented a beach house in Malibu, CA, hoping to get away from it all for some time to think, only to realize her neighbor, the sexy Levi, was the same bartender who rejected her years ago, leaving her humiliated. Levi had lived a hard but clean life, to get away from his father's scamming ways. With some wise investments and good poker skills, he had created a comfortable living. When a motorcycle accident put him in the hospital, Lindsey was the only one who came to see him... and forced him to reexamine his attitude about trusting in others. But Levi knew he can't trust Lindsey, for she'll go back to her fiancee Rob back in New York in an instant... better to keep her at arm's length...

Nice, angsty, esp. with Rob always hovering and providing tension, but this is more Levi's story, with him having to find out two shocks about his own family. Lindsey... is a bit naive, but nice and adorable kind of naive.Both came across as quite realistic.

Category: Contemporary

Primary Plot: Can a woman fleeing from a cheating fiancee care for someone who rejected her years ago, but may be a genuine guy?

Tropes: reunion, betrayal, jilted, hurt/comfort, family secrets, triangle

Overall Rating:  4/5

GRR Reviews Accidentally Hers (Sterling Canyon Book by Jamie Beck

"Accidentally Hers" is a romance between two people who should have been enemies, but can't help but fall in love with each other, and it's about trust and family bonds, and whether love does conquer all or not.

Grey Lowell moved to Colorado and bought the ski expedition company Backtrax with his life savings. He's dyslexic, and he grew up near Truckee, so wilderness and snow was his home. A girl caught his attention at a takeout place, whom he immediately dubbed Bambi due to the way she blinked, but he did not approach as she's accompanied by another girl who had been persistently trying to get his attention. On the way back to his office, he was clipped by a drunk driver and tore his ACL tendon, sidelining him for up to a year, and almost destroying his business (as he had counted on taking just enough money from the biz to live by, and tips, and now he had to hire help to run his existing obligations). He was even more surprised to learn that the drunk driver who clipped him was Bambi's brother, and Bambi, whose real name is Avery Randall, is going to be his physical therapist, as she's the only one in town who's available. They reluctantly work together, even as the lawsuit hang over their heads. He doesn't want to sue her brother, but her brother only carried the state minimum coverage, which is nowhere close to enough for his medical bills, much less loss of income. And if he does sue, it will put her and her brother out of their childhood home, for her brother has no other assets than being co-owner of the house (and even that was informally financed by their parents). And despite all that, Avery started to fall for Grey who was really a nice guy. But when circumstances force them to choose sides... will they end up betraying each other?

I can detect no plot holes in this tightly constructed novel where the problems escalate and trusts betrayed leading to a true darkest hour, and MMC really had to come up with an alternate solution so he doesn't have to sue Avery's brother and thus doom their relationship. In a lot of the romances, the MMC and FMC didn't resolve their problems... They just changed their mind, or someone else changed their minds or things happened and voila, their problem is gone. That's lazy plotting, and none of that is here.

Category: Contemporary

Primary Plot: Man Clipped by Drunk Driver Found His Physical Therapist is also his crush and the Drunk Driver's Sister

Tropes: Enemies to lovers, doctor/patient (Physical Therapist)

Overall Rating:  5/5